Grain-drill.



No. 732.633. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

G. A. HARDY.

GRAIN DRILL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

. UNIT STATES f PATENT Patented June so, 1903.

QFFICE.

oL MENT A. HARDY, E MoLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To THE FULLER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EAsT MoLINE, ILLINOIS.

DRILL.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,633, dated June 1 Applioation filed January 19,1903. Serial No. 139,661. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEMENT A. HARDY, a citizen of the United States, residing atMoline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Grain-Drill, of which the following is'a specification.

This invention relates to grain-drills, and more especially to that class of drills which are known as shoe-drills,, in which a shoe or runner is employed for the purpose of opening the furrow. Practical experience.

vent vibration, which would seriously interfere with the accuracy of thework. Again, it is desirable that the pressure of each-spring be capable of regulation and adjustment. Again, it is desirable that the pressure be applied at a point as'close as possible to the discharge end of the seed-tube, Where it will be most effective. It is also desirable that the spring attachment should be of such a nature that it will always operate with freedom and certainty and without liability of becoming clogged or otherwise interfered with during the progress of the operation ofthe machine of which it forms a part.

My invention therefore aims to produce a spring attachment for grain-drills which shall possess these and other advantages.

With these ends in view. the invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the runner of a grain-drill having my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken through the lower end of the seed-tube and the socket in which is mounted the lower end of the flat spring. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken transversely through the springs and clamping members. I.

Corresponding parts in the several views are indicated by similar characters of reference.

4 l designates the shoe or furrow-opener, 2 2 the drag-bars, and 3 the seed-tube, all of which are of the ordinary construction with the exception that the seed-tube has formed.

upon its front side a bracket 4, which is recessed to form a socket 5 for the reception of the lower end of a flat spring 6, which may.

be secured by means of a bolt 7. The bracket having the socket 5 is upon the front side of the seed-tube and is inclined in an upward and forward, direction, so that the spring 6 will extend upwardly and forwardly, as shown, the upper end of said spring being bent so as to lie approximately in a horizontal plane, its forward end terminating ata point between the drag-bars 2. The forward end of the spring 6 is formed with an eye S,

through which passes the bolt 9, upon the ends of which are mounted a pair of round spring-rods 10, having eyes'll at their front ends to engage the bolt 9 and also provided at their rear ends with eyes 12 to engage a connecting-bolt 13, the said spring-rodslO 10 being disposed on opposite sides of the seedtnbe, which latter is free to move vertically between the said spring-rods.

The flat spring 6 and the spring-rods 10 10 at the sides thereof are connected by means of a clamping device consistingof upper and lower clamping members It 14, the opposing faces of which are provided with recesses 15 to accommodate the rods 10, said clamping the point where the latter is connected with the spring 6, which point, as will be seen, is directly above the shoe or furrow-opener.

The connecting-bolt 13 at the rear ends of the spring-rods 10 is connected by a yoke 18 with an operating-link 19, which may be actuated by lever-power or in any convenient manner to set the spring and to regulate the pressure thereof. Itis obvious that in a machine equipped with a number of runners, as is usually the case, the operating-links of the several springs may be so connected as to enable the several springs to be simultaneously set or regulated.

While the spring-pressure may be adjusted by means of the operating-link 19 so as to cause the runner to engage the ground with any desired degree of pressure, according to the condition of the soil, it will be seen that the tension of the individual springs is capable of being minutely regulated by means of the clamping device comprising the members 14, which may be adjusted at any desired distance from the connecting-point of the spring members 6 and 10 10 to increase or diminish the tension. By the construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described such adjustment may not only be quickly and easily but very accurately effected, this being the feature which I consider of great advantage.

My improved spring attachment, as will be seen from the foregoing description, is extremely simple as [.0 the construction thereof and of such a nature as to operate efficiently to efiect the desired result. The springpressure, as will be seen, is applied directly to the seed-tube and is capable of being minutely regulated. By the construction described I attain absolute certainty of action and without the least tendency to vibration, while at the same time perfect flexibility of movementis secnred,the importance of which will be readily appreciated.

My improved spring attachment is strong and durable and not liable to get out of order, there being no place where dirt may lodge in such a manner as to interfere with the efiective operation of the spring.

I have in the foregoing described a simple and preferred form of my invention; but I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself as regards structural details, but reserve the right to all changes, alterations, and modifications which may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing the utility of the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with the runner and seed-tube, of a spring rigidly attached to the seed-tube at a point closely above the rear end of the shoe and extending in a forward direction, auxiliary spring-rods connected with the front end of said spring and extending rearwardly, hugging the sides of the seed-tube and adjustable clamping means connecting said spring and auxiliary spring-rods.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with the runner and seed-tube, of a spring rigidly attached to the seed-tube at a point closely above the rear end of the shoe and extending in a forward direction, auxiliary spring-rods connected with the front end of said spring and extending rearwardly hugging the sides of the seed-tube, adjustable clamping means connecting the said spring and auxiliary spring-rods, and a yoke connecting the rear ends of the latter with an opcrating-link.

3. In a device of the class described, the seed-tube having a forwardly-extending socketed bracket, a spring mounted therein and extending upwardly and forwardly, said spring being bent to dispose its forward end in an approximately horizontal plane, rods connected with the front end of said spring and disposed on either side thereof, said rods being extended rearwardly on either side of the seed-tube and there connected, and clamping means adjustably connecting said spring and rods.

4. In a device of the class described, the seed-tube havinga forwardly-extendingsocket-ed bracket, a spring mounted therein and extending upwardly and forwardly, rods connected with the front end of said spring and disposed on either side thereof, said rods being extended rearwardly on either side of the seed-tube and there connected with an operating-link, and an adjustable clamp connecting said spring and rods, said clamp comprising upper and lower clamping members recessed in their opposing faces to accommodate the rods and connected by bolts disposed between said rods and the intermediate spring.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLEMENT A. HARDY.

Witnesses:

L. H. LYONS, E. P. LUCKLUM. 

